I hadn’t seen this YouTube video before, until my friend Shawn tweeted this below:
Take 5 minutes right now to watch this. You may have seen videos like this before, but watch Jonah’s story. And then ask yourself how important children and youth ministry is in our churches today? Ask yourself how many Jonahs are in the groups of students and youth that you encounter on a weekly or daily basis?
Shawn is right. If the church doesn’t have an answer to this, if the church isn’t capable of addressing the emotions and fears and bullying that happens to our youth…what ARE we doing? If we aren’t creating cultures where Jonahs would feel welcome, loved and celebrated…shouldn’t we just turn out the lights and shut the doors?
What are you doing in your ministry, this month, this week, today…to make sure that people like Jonah have a place and are welcomed?
